Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-09


is more discerninent in q hogs snout
than in their taste. There are very
good wine men engaged in the business
here, but those who handle wine IN Cali.
fornia, speaking generally. must be a
different set of people before the indus.
try can prosper as it deserves. Most of
them know nothing of wine, but are
simply bent on eDcompassIng the al
mighty dollar. The only way in which
excellence in wines can be attained is to
strive for reputation that may descend
to ones children, instead of endeavoring
to make all the money one can out OF
he business as soon as possible.
"The Zipfandel variety" continued
Mr.. Harazihy, "has grown much better,
but choicer grapes are planted in Cali.
fornia to mix with it. The Zinfandel
grapes that are grown in some localities
in this State make rather Indifferent
sort of wine. The great drawback of
Zinfandel is its high percentage of acid
and its low percentage of color and tan
mic astringents. Certain vineyards give
more color in this wine than others, but
the requisite amount of astringents for
good wine are not tanned. In several
localities, however, the Zinfandel grape
makes a fine grade of claret. l may
mention for instance the upper and GEN.
tral parts of Sonoma county, and the
hillsides of Napa county. The Tannate
grape and other newly grown varieties
are excellent for blending with Zinfan-
del, and with them the vintage of 1856
will be productive Of really admirable
clarets. For example, wine composed
of SO per cent. of Zinfandel grown in the
hills. 20 per cent. of Mataro, 20 per cent.
OF Tannate. and 10 per cent. of Verdot,
would constitute splendid claret, both
tor astringency, flavor, bouquet, body
and color.
"If we could meet the French manu-
facturers in price we could export here.
after wines that would be drank with de-
light in France. Frequently have had
gentlemen taste some blends of this
character and they exclaimed that the
claret tasted as if it had come from some
of the best known chateaus of France.
l do not mean to puff the claret that
can be made here beyond its merits, hut
for first rate, good. ordinary table
claret nothing better than that of Cali
fornia will be found. Ve4 good, drink.
able, ordinary white wines are produced
in this State, but the progress with re.
gard to them has not kept pace with the
advance in claret.
"California table claret will be gen.
orally acknowledged very soon to be
what I have claimed for it. It's reputa.
ton, however, will depend on the care,
atten ion and Judgment of the maker,
to whom experience and skill will come
naturally"
elbow about our champagnes?"
ave are getting the most fattering
testimonials regarding them from every
portion of the world. We sell in this
Safe and on thi, coast more than all the
imported brands put together, and from
the Eastern States we receive nothing
but praise, encouragement and increased
sales. California Champagne is improv-
ing gradually, as fast as l am able to get
finer varieties of grapes from which to
make it. What we need are better
grapes, and a more abundant growth of
them. Last year, for the purpose of i'm
proving champagne, got nine distinct
varieties of grapes from various parts of
the State, and some of the choicer varie.
ties, which wanted badly, were very
scarce. This year will get more select
kinds and larger quantities of them, and,
of course, tiner variety of grape will
give finer champagne. Its excellence.
therefore depends much on the enter
prise of the vine-growers, and l try to
encourage them as much as l can to
produce better kinds by giving tLem
good prices"
"Was the aggregate business done in
1886 larger than in other years?"
"Yes. Business increased, but un.
fortunately prices ruled lower than they
should have been. The market in the
East were disorganized, and that made
things financially bad for us. More
wine was sent out of the State, though,
than in any other year, and the exports s
of this product are continually growing.
1t will not be long before California will
supply most of the United States with
wine. The really big consuming place
at present is New Orleans, and am told
that California clarets there have driven
French brands entirely out of the mar
ket. The consumption of California
wine is also growing at home. don't
believe that 10000 gallons of European
wines come to this market in year now,
while not very long ago over 100000
gallons were sold annually. I estimate
that 10000 cases of champagne were
drunk on this coast during the year. Of
these, about 1900 cases are our own
manufacture, 5000 to 1000 of bogus
pumped champagne made here, and 5000
to 1000 cases of imported French cham
pagne of the different brands.
"The continued Advancement of the
wine industry of California depends on
the making of good, ordinary, cheap
wines. That should be first attended
to, aud the higher grades will follow. "
"Has there been any expectation to
Europe during the year,"
''Only samples of wines are being sent
to Europe. Nota week passes that do
not receive CORE spodenoe from Europe
concerning sample lots, and few thou.
sand gallons are thus being occasionally
sent. With the big crops grown now,
and the lowering of prices which natural.
ly ensue, California will be able to ship
wine to Europe. The export of Cali.
fornia wine out OF this country daring
1885 amounted to about Is, 900, gallons,
and suppose it has been more in 1856
HAS phylloxera been on the in
crease?"
"The phylloxera has been spreading
here during the present year, but not to
such an extent as it has in France. Re.
medies against it have been used, but
they have done nothing toward exter.
minating the past.
Charles Kohler of Kohler & Frohling
said: 1.-The reduced rates of freight
have helped the wine business of Cali
fornia during the year. In Missouri and
Ohio, where they make their own vine,
they used to undersell US, but the re-
duction in freights has enabled us this
year to compete with the manufacturers
there in prices, aud many carloads of
wine have been shipped to those States.
Business has been very good, indeed,